Tenderness - A Gift From Heaven (SFW VERSION)
by harukatana
Summary: He thanked the gods for this so special and precious gift they had given him. Zeno/Yona AU ROMANCE - ONESHOT.


**Author's notes:** Hey there it's been quite a long time since I updated something. So ... here, I wrote a oneshot as an apology. After reading chapter 130 of Akatsuki no Yona, seeing all the feels, this couldn't be avoided I guess. AU Yona/Zeno romance. I love them so much when they're together. I know it isn't a ship everyone like but well.. I just felt like it so.. here it is (And yes, I know Zeno has/had a wife, I love Kaya by the way.. but I NEED THE FEELS between the two of them !). I couldn't decide on the title for this oneshot and I think both of them fit and I love both of them, so well you know choose the one you prefer ;D This is the SFW version, the NSFW version will be posted later (in a few days I think). Anyway, Enjoy and Review !

Disclaimer: I don't own Akatsuki no Yona, nor its characters, it all belongs to the wonderful Kusanagi Mizuho :D Obviously, the picture isn't mine either.

* * *

Tenderness/A Gift From Heaven - Oneshot

* * *

"I'M SO SORRY! ... m-mister Zeno held up a pillar so t-that we could flee ... He- he's still inside-" The second Princess of Xing said feeling guilty.

Yona felt her body grow cold at the news. _Zeno.. Zeno ... ZENO !_

 _This is bad. If I don't hurry, they'll try to come help me._ Zeno thought as his body was being engulfed by the burning flames. He made his way through the mansion on fire, putting one feet in front of the other, despite the unbearable pain he felt he kept walking. He could feel his skin burn, he saw it turning from a white color to a black one.

 _The regeneration sure is slow away from Hiryuu Castle._ He tought as he saw the night sky appear behind one of the wooden pillar still on fire. _That's it.. the exit- Miss.._

Finally with the perseverance he had left, he made his way out of that burning hell _._ He could see her from afar. _Miss_ he thought as his eyes laid on her. The not so happy hungry bunch at the moment could see a dark figure approach them slowly. They couldn't move, they were frozen. They knew exactly who was the person coming closer and closer.

Zeno's mind was a mess, he couldn't think anymore due to the pain of being burnt alive, he only kept walking towards his red light, towards his master, towards his everything. However, as he was only a few steps away from her, his legs gave away without his consent causing him to fall on his knees. Without thinking, Yona rushed to his side. He could barely register her voice calling him. "ZENO ! ZENO !" She tried to support Zeno's darkened body with her own as she put her arms around his burning back. Zeno was cluthing Yona's sleeve in pain, as if his life depended on it, as if clutching it as much as he could would help ease the pain.

Zeno was breathing heavily. _It hurts ! It hurts so much !_ He thought as he let out whimpers through his gritted teeth. As if sensing his pain, Yona hugged him in a soft embrace. As time went by, Zeno's skin turned from the dark shade to a golden one, his dragon scales taking back their original color, and his breathing went back to normal.

She leaned towards his ear. "Zeno, you're not alone. I'm here.. I'm here." she whispered before letting her own cheek rest against the back of his head.

 _Ah.. I made her worry again,_ he thought as his mind drifted to sleep. Yona felt her eyes watering as she held him. "Zeno" she said as if to check if he was really here, in her arms, safe.

* * *

Yoon had put on a spare change of cloth on Zeno when he was still unconscious. It was a plain white kimono, but it was better than having him stay naked the whole night. It was now morning. Zeno was still sleeping peacefully. Everyone was pretty much busy. Hak was sparring with Algira, and it would soon be the turn of Jae-ha and Kija to fight with Vold. Princess Tao watched her two guardians as they fought. It had been a long time since she had seen this kind of scene. Yoon and Shin-ah were busy preparing breakfast. Yona however didn't have anything to do, her friends had told her to rest. She wanted to, but something was bugging her. She hadn't seen Zeno's pendant when he came out of the fire. She hadn't seen it in his hair, nor had she seen it around his neck or in his hands when she had help Yoon clean Ouryuu's dirtied body. And this was bugging her even more knowing it was something precious Hiryuu had given him.

"I'm going to the bathroom, I will be back in a bit." Yona said to avoid worrying all the wonderful people around her.

"Do you want me to come with you miss Yona ?" Princess Tao asked as she remembered Yona wasn't in the best week of the month.

"N-no thank you, I will be fine Princess Tao." Yona answered blushing a little, knowing what Xing Princess was referring to. _It ended three days ago so it will be fine._

"Be careful not to get lost Princess !" Hak shouted from his spot as he was stopping Algira's attack.

"I won't !" she shouted back slightly upset at him for taking her for an idiot.

She walked towards the woods. Once she was far enough for anyone to see her, she went in the direction of Princess Tao's mansion.

The beautiful mansion she had seen the day before no longer existed. It was replaced by burnt wooden sticks on the ground and ashes. _What a pity._ She thought. _There's nothing left._ Without loosing any more time, she walked to the remains of the mansion. She searched everywhere for Zeno's pendant. She lifted some wooden sticks and pushed them aside, trying to walk deeper into the remains. Her hands were turning black as she repeated the same action. After some time spent searching in the rubble, she saw something shine not far away from her current position as the sunlight hit whatever was on the ground. _That must be it_ she thought as she followed the direction of the shiny object.

She bent down and used her slim fingers to remove the ashes on the pendant. She took it in her hands carefully and her eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know how, but the pendant was still in one piece. It wasn't even damaged by the fire that had occured the night before. There was no a stains, no scratches. She carefully placed Zeno's pendant in the inside pocket of her dress as she stood up.

 _I should go back before everyone runs here,_ she thought. She took a step before stopping in her tracks. She looked back at the destroyed mansion once again before taking the path that would lead her back to her family.

* * *

Hak had just finished sparring with Argila. He hadn't noticed how much time had actually passed as he was engrossed in his fight. He searched for the red-head he always followed.

"Hey guys, where's the Princess ?" he asked.

"Didn't she go the the bathroom ?" Yoon asked.

"Hey, how long were we sparring ?" Hak asked to Algira.

"Fifteen, twenty minutes I think, I don't know I was having so much fun " he answered.

Zeno chose this moment to appear, he had woken up a few minutes ago but had decided to stay under the warm blanket that was near the fire in the cave.

"Um, what's going on ?" he asked rubbing his eyes as he saw everyone one had a weird look on their faces.

Kija looked at him. "Zeno are you okay ? How is your body ?"

"Yes, Zeno feels great !" he replied cheerfully.

"So what were you saying about the miss ?"

"Yona dear went to the bathroom and she isn't back yet, we're a little worried." Jae-ah said.

"After what happened yesterday, could it be that Yona run into some kind of trouble, what if-" Yoon began to panick and Zeno interrupted him.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the miss is fine. She probaly got a little lost, the forest is kind of deep around here. Zeno will bring her back" _Miss isn't really good with direction even though she tries her best._ He thought. _Just like King Hiryuu._ He chuckled at the thought and took off in the forest in order to find Yona.

* * *

"Miss, are you here ?" he asked only to meet a heavy silence.

"M-I-S-S ?! CAN YOU HEAR ME ?!" he asked a little louder.

"Zeno ?" a voice he would recognize among a thousands replied.

"Yes miss, it's Zeno ! Are you okay ? Everyone was beginning to worry."

"I'm fine just wait a minute, I'm washing my hands, and I will come to you !" She said happy to hear his voice. She made sure to wash all the dirt and all the ashes that had sticked to her hands when she looked for Zeno's most precious possession.

"OKAY !" Zeno replied with his usual cheerful tone.

Yona dried her hands on her dress and stood up. "I'm done, where are you Zeno ?"

"Over there !" he said laughing.

"Over there where ? Zeno keep talking that way I will find you !"

Zeno laughed. "Zeno will sing for you miss, so you won't get lost !" he replied smiling.

"Hey ! I don't always get lost !" she replied as she heard Zeno starting to sing.

"Long, long ago, when the big red sun was gobbled up, and the world was stained black-"

Yona went around different bushes and trees that were blocking her way to find Zeno. At last she saw his blond hair. "Zeno !" Yona nearly shouted, she was so happy to see him.

"Miss !" he replied enthusiastically.

"I have something for you Zeno."

"Eh a present ?! Yay Zeno's happy !"

He saw Yona reach the pocket inside her dress and saw her open her hands that were holding the old pendant. For a moment Zeno felt as if he had stopped breathing.

"Miss that's-" he said as he extended his hand to reach hers.

Yona smiled, her eyes were full of kindess and love. "Zeno, this is important to you isn't it ? You shouldn't loose it."

"Miss-" Zeno said biting back a sob as he took his precious pendant in his own hands.

Out of the blue Zeno jumped in her arms. The unexpected action made both of them fall down on the ground. Yona let a little scream of surprise escape from her mouth.

"Ouch.." Yona said rubbing the back of her head that had come in contact with the ground. "Z-Zeno a-are you okay ?" she asked as she moved to a sitting position.

"I'm fine.." he said also sitting and returning her hug from earlier. He couldn't respond because he had fainted before being able to return it, he had felt it nonetheless. "Thank you miss, thank you so much-"

Yona tilted her head to the side, not quite understanding what Zeno was thanking her for before she noticed how strongly Zeno was holding onto the pendant he had gotten from Hiryuu. Then she just smiled hugging him back.

They stayed like that hugging each other quite a long time. Zeno felt so good in her arms. He felt warm, safe and at peace. And so did Yona.

Suddenly he noticed her small body trembling and felt her cheek was becoming wet. Worried he separated himself from her, eyes wide as he took in her crying form.

"Miss ?" he asked gently. Yona looked away and sobbed even more at the sound of his voice.

"Miss, what's wrong ? Did Zeno hurt you when hugging you ?"

"N-no, t-that's not it." she answered still crying, looking at the ground. Yona couldn't stop the images of Zeno being hurt from invading her mind. Zeno took her face in his hands making her look at him.

"Then what is it miss ? Zeno doesn't like seeing you cry" he said sliding his fingers up and down her cheek in a slow and gentle motion trying to wipe away her tears. He really hated seeing her cry, everytime she cried, his own heart was aching.

"I- I thought I had l-lost you." she said looking straight at him despite the tears still rolling down her cheeks.

"Miss-" he whispered softly as he took her in his arms again. "Zeno's fine. Zeno can't die."

He began rubbing the back of her head. "E-even so, you still feel pain ! You must have suffered so much.." Yona said angry at herself for being so powerless in this kind of this situation. "I couldn't help you. I'm sorry." She couldn't have avoided Zeno getting hurt and she hated herself for it. Her concern made him feel so loved, even though it saddened him to know she was feeling this way because of him.

"Please Zeno don't ever do that again, I- I was so scared. I won't be able to go on if you're not here, with me." she said still holding onto him as her cheeks had a slight tint of red.

Zeno's heart was beating so fast that he thought it would explode soon. This soul he had been loyal to for thousands of years was here, just before his eyes and that soul was still concerned about his well-being. The way he felt towards this young woman was different from how he felt towards Hiryuu, he couldn't act as if those feelings didn't exist. His emotions overwhelmed him. She felt Zeno move a little so he could face her. He looked at her and leaned down to drop a soft kiss on her cheek. Yona's cheeks became redder at the sudden contact.

"Miss that's not true. You helped Zeno more than you know." He smiled at her as he took a hold of her hand.

"Eh ?"

"Miss, when Zeno was hurting, you took him in your arms, you didn't let go of him even when he was burnt and when no one could even recognize his face." he said looking at her lovingly. "Zeno heard you, you said Zeno wasn't alone, that you were here for him. It made Zeno happy."

"Really ?" she asked.

"Really." he answered still smiling.

"Zeno.." she said squeezing his hand.

"Yes ?" he hummed

"Thank you, for being here, for being alive" she said as she kissed his hand. And it was Zeno's turn to blush.

"Miss-"

"Call me Yona, not miss." she said looking straight into his eyes despite the feeling of embarassment that seemed to invade her whole body.

".. Yona.." he said her name softly as if she would break like glass if he were to say her name any louder.

"Y-yes ?" she replied nervously as she felt an awkward tension between them.

"I love you.. Yona." He said as he looked at her praying she could feel just how strong his feelings were towards her. Yona looked surprised for a minute but quickly recovered. Her cheeks became as red as her hair.

"I-I think I love you too." she replied hiding her face behind her long sleeves.

"You think ? Or you're sure ?" Zeno asked chuckling.

"Zeno you're teasing me." she said pouting a little. Zeno found it adorable.

"Sorry, sorry."

She lowered her head. "I'm sure." she said in a whisper hardly audible.

"Eh ? Zeno didn't quite catch that." he said still teasing her. Yona didn't notice the tease this time as she was too embarassed.

"I'm sure, that I l-love you Zeno." She said with a serious expression.

"I see. Zeno's sure too." he said as he took her chin in his hand and came closer to her face, stopping a few inches from her lips.

"Zeno wants to kiss you." he said in a manly voice Yona had never heard as he looked straight into her beautiful amethyst eyes. "Can I ?"

"D-don't ask things like that, i-it's embarassing.." she replied blushing once again. He smiled at her innocence and leaned to kiss her. Their lips met in a soft, long and warm kiss. Something Yona had never experienced before. She closed her eyes and let Zeno kiss her as much as he wanted because she wanted it just as much. Little by little, the soft and chaste kiss grew more passionate. Zeno's heart was racing. How many years had it been since he last felt like that ? He didn't remembered.

However, as he felt the fast pulsasions in his chest screaming for him to touch her more, he thought it must have already been long enough.

Their bodies became warmer as they kept kissing. The passionate kiss made Yona feel dizzy and all funny inside. Like electricity was running through her whole body, and god she loves that strange feeling so much !

As he parted from her lips for both of them to get some air down their lungs, he felt Yona was reluctant to let go. He smiled before leaving a small kiss on her cheek. "We should go back. The others will worry." He said trying to ignore the growing urge to push her down and make her his.

Yona was struggling to catch her breath after that deep kiss. "I.. I d-don't want to go back just yet." she said still panting as she looked at him with an expression unknown to him.

When he looked at her he saw an untameable look of desire that made him shiver in excitement as his lust for her only intensified. She on her side, felt as if she had a high fever as her body heat rose.

"Mis- Yona.. you look so erotic."

"Eh ?" she said in a daze, but before she could comprehend what he had told her he claimed her lips again. Zeno sucked on her lower lip and softly nibbled it making Yona slightly open her mouth in surprise. Zeno took this chance to slip his tongue in her mouth, caressing her tongue with his own. Yona closed her eyes at the new feeling, the kiss felt so good, so warm. _Is that what an adult kiss feels like ?_ she wondered.

Yona gladly returned the kiss despite her lack of experience. It was cute to see how hard she tried to kiss him back properly, and it made Zeno chuckle in the middle of their wild kiss before parting again.

"Yona.. let's go back or I won't be able to hold back, and you're not ready for this, it's too early." Zeno said with an expression clouded by desire. Yona looked confused, she tilted her head to the side trying to understand what Zeno meant. _Why does he mean hold back ? And what am I not ready for ?_

Yona thought really hard about it, then she tried to imagine what could possibly come next. Then, it was a if lightning had struck her. _Oh my god !_ she thought as she flushed.

Zeno saw her become as red as a tomato, and judging by her reaction, it was clear she wasn't ready at all for what would come next. _I've already waited so long, a little more won't kill me_ , he thought. Zeno smiled lovingly at her. "Come one Yona" he said rising up and extending his hand to hers. "Let's go back." Yona nodded and took his hand. They held hands and went back to the cave they were staying at for the time being.

* * *

"Shin-ah, can you check on Yona and Zeno, they should have been here a long time ago" Yoon said. Shin-ah nodded in response as he took off the piece of clothes covering his eyes. His eyes widened as they searched through the forest.

"So do you see them ?" Yoon asked.

"Yes." he said as he spotted them. "They are near, they are coming back." he anwered.

Before they could say anything more, Zeno and Yona came out of the deepest part of the forest, holding hands. Zeno smiling fondly at her and Yona blushing furiously.

Blush that didn't go by unseen by the happy hungry bunch.

"What happened Yona dear, it's rare to see you hold hands with the old man" Jae-ha aked as curiosity invaded his mind.

Yona didn't respond and felt like the red of her cheeks only intensified. "Do you not feel well Princess ?" Kija asked concerned about her health.

"N-no I'm fine.." she replied trying to avoid the curious gazes directed at her.

"Then what happened Princess, you're being awfully quiet." Hak added as his eyes narrowed on her.

Again Yona didn't say anything. Zeno wanting to help her replied in her stead.

"Zeno made a move on her and the miss said she felt the same way as Zeno." he said cheerfully.

Yona turned her head towards Zeno in a rapid motion and Zeno took this opportunity to kiss her in front of everyone before a collective "EH ?!" echoed in the forest.


End file.
